This Time
by hitsuji-kun
Summary: Sakura Haruno has a date with wealthy and popular Sasuke Uchiha. However, things don’t go according to plan. Best friend Naruto Uzumaki ends up falling for him as well, and finds himself caught in a whirlpool of passion and betrayal. SasuNaru AU
1. Chapter 1

**This Time**

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Naruto, but I don't. Really.**  
**

_This story is dedicated to Fool. http:// latelier. thescrum. net_

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**Chapter One**

Naruto looked at his reflection in the mirror, poking at his scars. _I hate my face_, he thought.

"I hate my face," he announced when Sakura walked back into the room holding a dress in front of her.

"Shut up, what about this one?" she asked, twirling the black fabric in front of his face.

"No."

Sakura sighed loudly and then said, "Well then, what do _you_ suggest?"

"I don't know. But not that," he trailed off when he saw Sakura eyeing a risqué gold dress on the bed, "and definitely not _that_!"

"Then what should I wear?!" her voice rose, panicky.

Naruto forced himself off the chair in front of Sakura's vanity set, and set off on a mission to find something appropriate in her closet. He sighed when he stepped into the brilliantly lit closet, because it was bigger than his entire bedroom.

"Rich people," he muttered under his breath.

He ran his fingers along the fabric hanging neatly on metal poles which were organized systematically alongside columns of white drawers. A shimmering blue dress caught his eye and he pulled it off its hanger. It was simple and chic, casual yet appropriate. Much better than those other dresses she had picked out before. Those were dresses not even a hooker would be caught dead in. Then again, maybe they would. He walked back out into Sakura's main bedroom with the dress in his hand. She was sitting on her bed facing the closet's doorway and when Naruto held the dress up with an eyebrow raised, her face lit up.

"Hey you found it! I've been looking all over for that," she exclaimed.

Naruto rolled his eyes and threw the dress in her face, laughing, and running out of her reach when she tried to slap his arm. He made his way back over to the vanity, and sat down on the chair watching her change. He couldn't deny that if he were heterosexual, Sakura probably would have been his first love. In first grade, a classmate of theirs teased Sakura about her hair, making her cry. Naruto had come to her rescue, vehemently declaring that pink hair was cool. Incidentally, they became best friends soon afterwards and still were to this day.

Sakura turned back around to face him with the dress on, "Yes? No?"

"Yes," he grinned, "I would totally do you."

"Ha ha, so says the gay boy!" she teased, but quickly became somber. "Seriously though, it looks okay right?...I don't want him to think I'm a slut or anything."

Naruto laughed at this and slapped a hand to his chest in dramatic fashion, "Oh the shock and horror! What is the world coming to? Sakura not wanting to be thought of as a slut?!"

"Fuck you," she said laughing at his ridiculous posture and expression.

"So, what's his name?" Naruto asked.

"Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha," she replied dreamily. She motioned for him to move off the chair and plopped herself down before he could get his legs properly unconfined from beneath the vanity set. Sakura began to put her makeup on, occasionally wiping some off and starting over. Naruto watched the mirror fascinated, watching her every move. When she started to put on her final touches of lipgloss, he moved to sit on the edge of the chair next to her with his elbow on the table.

"Want some?" she asked, smacking her lips and blowing him a pretend kiss.

Naruto screwed his nose up in distaste but started laughing when Sakura tried to apply some pink gloss to his lips. Most of it ended up on his cheek, which he wiped away with the back of his hand. Suddenly, his face was caught in between two small powder puffs and his hair was clipped with bobby pins. Sakura was standing behind him, admiring her work and giggling.

"You look so pretty Naruto, if only I was a lesbian," she teased.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her, "Shut up, you're already one. A big bull dyke!" he crowed. He ran down the hallway and halted at the staircase. Below him was the front door, and on the other side of the door he could make out the form of a dark haired man. Sakura stopped behind him, panting a little for running after him.

Naruto pointed, "I think your date is here."

"Oh my God! Oh my God! What do I do? Naruto, I can't do this!" She cried, her breaths becoming shallow and quick.

"Er…you walk down, open the door, and invite him in?" Naruto offered, observing her behavior worriedly.

"No, _you_ open the door, I need to relax for a moment. Please Naruto? Just wait with him for a few minutes in the living room?" she begged.

Naruto rolled his eyes, as Sakura mouthed "thank you" and rushed back into her room. He made his ways down the winding stairs and reached the front door just as the person decided to ring the doorbell.

When Naruto finally opened the door and saw the man standing in front of it, he suddenly understood why Sakura had begun to hyperventilate. Her date was one of hottest boys he had ever seen. Black hair, dark eyes, fair skin…

And Naruto's oxygen intake began to skyrocket as well.

-----

"Are you stupid or something?" the boy drawled, looking at him with disdain. 

This immediately snapped Naruto back to his senses. "Excuse me?" he asked angrily.

"Oh so you're deaf too? Just my luck," the other sneered.

"Just your luck what?" Naruto countered.

"Just my luck that I have to go on a date with some girl who is both deaf and _dumb_."

"For _your_ information, I'm a boy!" Naruto said fervently, "Your date is upstairs…And I am neither stupid nor deaf!"

"Oh, could have fooled me," the boy shrugged, "I'm Sasuke."

Naruto glared at Sasuke, but stepped back to let him into the house. As he led Sasuke into the living room he caught his appearance in the hallway mirror and quickly looked away. He had forgotten about his hair and makeup.

_I'm going to kill Sakura_.

Sasuke sat down on the lush couch with an annoyed huff. Naruto could tell that he was one of those people who did not like to be kept waiting.

"Do you want something to drink?" Naruto asked trying to buy Sakura some time, as her date's mood worsened with every second.

Sasuke smirked, "Are you her servant?"

Naruto could _also_ tell that this guy was an asshole.

"No!" Naruto yelled, "You know what? I don't care. You can sit here by yourself for all I care. I was trying to be nice and do a favor for a friend, but who _knew_ her date would be a jackass?! Good _Lord_, you have some nerve –"

His rant was cut short when he heard someone clearing their throat behind him. He turned and found Sakura looking at him exasperatedly.

Naruto chuckled forcedly and raised a hand to scratch the back of his head, "Hey Sakura!"

She narrowed her eyes at him and snapped, "Don't 'hey Sakura' me!" Then she turned her attentions to Sasuke who was looking at the entire situation with amusement. "Sasuke! It's so good to finally meet you."

"Yea. You look nice" he said monotonously.

"Naruto helped me pick out the dress!"

"What, this idiot?" Sasuke asked with a nod in Naruto's direction.

"Excuse me, I'm _in_ the room!" Naruto loudly exclaimed.

Sasuke stood up and walked over to grab Sakura's hand. He led her towards the front door. Sakura turned her head to look at Naruto with an excited expression on her face.

"Bye Naruto! Take care!" And then she was gone.

Naruto heard two car doors slam and then a powerful sounding engine roaring down the street. He sighed and walked up to Sakura's room to retrieve his backpack. Afterwards, Naruto felt the sense of oppression more than ever while walking to the bus stop. Sakura always had boyfriends, but there was something different about this date. Naruto could sense a change in the way Sakura presented herself, the way she handled herself in front of Sasuke. Before she was always flirty and carefree. For her, it had always been more about the sex. This time, Naruto could sense it. He was the one. With Sasuke's introduction, Naruto's end had begun. At this thought, under the dim lampposts of Konoha's red-light district, Naruto felt more alone than ever.

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A/N: A while ago, I wrote a short drabble-ish thing that I wanted to turn into a multi-chapter story. Here is the result. The story will indeed eventually be SasuNaru. And yes, Naruto is a prostitute, but not for the entire story. Just thought I'd give you a head's up. 

Since this is my first multi-chap story and all, I'll give you cookies if you review. Metaphorically speaking of course :)


	2. Chapter 2

**WARNING:** YAOI. Sasuke x Naruto x Sasuke. And...obviously Naruto does not belong to me. But I _do_ own him in keychain version!

**A/N:** This fic will be SxNxS, but because of Naruto's situation in this story, there will be depictions of Naruto x Others. I will not write _explicit _lemons, so if that is what you're looking for you're looking in the wrong place. I really want to focus most of my energy on plot and character development. And finally, thanks for the reviews and favs, I really appreciate it!

I have decided to dedicate this story to Fool. This story is partially inspired by her amazing writing. So please visit her website at: http:// latelier. thescrum. net

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**Chapter Two**

The thunder rumbled above in the gray myopic sky. Naruto looked up at the street lamp he was standing under, which was giving off a feeble glow. The rain steadily petered through the yellow haze of the lamp, and Naruto felt the cool wetness drum upon his blank face. Raindrops raced down the contours of his cheeks, nose, and lips finishing their short marathon when they fell from his chin into a small puddle at his feet. His body was achingly cold and Naruto cursed himself for forgetting to put an umbrella in his schoolbag. Around him stood three or four other boys, in the same dismal condition. He recognized two of the boys. They were regulars, like him, who came to this corner almost every night to stand and wait. When they made eye contact, Naruto acknowledged them with a small nod which they returned with the same enthusiasm.

It was a slow night.

_Stupid rain_, Naruto thought. He glanced at his watch and noticed it was getting late. If no one came by in ten minutes, he was going to head home. There was school tomorrow.

As if on cue, a black sedan pulled up along the sidewalk he was standing on. A darkened window was rolled down.

A deep voice spoke from the depths of the car, "Are you -"

"Yeah, yeah. Twenty for a blow job, thirty for a fuck," Naruto replied with unbearable casualness.

He heard the sharp click of the doors unlocking and quickly shouldered his bag and opened the door. In the dark, Naruto could make out the figure of a middle-aged man.

_Probably married, with kids_, Naruto grimaced.

-----

Naruto followed the man up to his apartment. Minutes ago they had parked the car in a security-tight parking structure, and had walked up a flight of stairs. To Naruto's amazement, they walked in an incredibly grand lobby complete with marble flooring and sparkling chandeliers overhead. There were several attendants who bowed as the man passed by and Naruto noticed a look shared between them when they saw Naruto. However, he brushed if off - used to it by now - and stepped into a gleaming elevator with the man.

He turned around to face the doors, leaning against the railing, and looked at himself in the mirrors. He could feel his heart thumping within his ribcage, and heard and _saw_ himself swallow. Silently, he observed the bags under his eyes, his unruly hair, and untied shoelaces. The man beside him shifted which caught his attention. Seemingly coming out of a daze, Naruto tried to casually observe the man beside him in the mirror. He was good-looking, Naruto thought. And not as old as he had appeared in the dark interior of the car. He had shoulder length black hair which was tied in a neat ponytail at the back of his head. He was wearing a black suit, with a white collared shirt, and a purple tie.

Their reflections suddenly made eye contact and Naruto smiled sheepishly at being caught in his staring. In turn, the man smiled softly back. Naruto realized that a small weight had been lifted from his shoulders at the man's response, and straightened his posture when the elevator halted its upward climb. They were on the 24th floor. When the doors opened, the man waited for Naruto to exit first and then followed closely with a hand resting gently on his back. He directed Naruto towards one of the rooms on the right which was enclosed behind deep crimson double doors. The man opened the door and softly guided Naruto inside.

It was a large apartment. Not as big or amazing as Naruto expected it to be (considering what he saw in the lobby), but it was still enough to make his eyes widen and curiosity to explore the place flood into him. Ever since Naruto had gotten into the car, the man had not spoken one word to him. But now, the man turned to him, loosening his tie, and walked up to Naruto. He was tall - Naruto coming up barely to his chin.

Putting a hand behind his head, "Uh nice place you got here," Naruto laughed nervously.

The man leaned in closer, Naruto could feel his breath on his cheek, and the sensation of a hand cupping the back of his neck. "I'm glad you think so," the man murmured into his ear.

Naruto's breath hitched as he deeply inhaled the man's now blatant cologne. He felt the man pull him close, felt him rub soothing circles on his back, felt him all over, and then in his ear,

"What's your name?" He kissed the side of his face gently, making his way down to his jaw.

Naruto hesitated. Usually names weren't exchanged. Usually, the only things exchanged were saliva, sweat, and cum.

_And blood_, a small voice whispered in his head.

"Naruto," he answered finally. Tentatively, "What...should I call you?"

Naruto felt the man exhale, "Orochimaru," the name rolling smoothly off the man's tongue, cutting across the abounding tension in the room.

Orochimaru's hand came up to rest on his cheek, his fingers caressing and exploring. As if he had never done this before, Orochimaru delicately placed two fingers on Naruto's lips, his breath coming out in a shudder. Naruto's heartbeat quickened as he saw the glint in the man's eye. He felt the fingers on his lips, and had an urge to lick them. But he held back, waiting to see what this man wanted.

"You don't kiss," Orochimaru flatly realized, saying it more to himself than to Naruto. His eyes roamed over Naruto's face, and Naruto thought he looked disappointed.

Taking action, he forced himself to laugh, casually brushing away Orochimaru's hand. "But I can do other things," he purred.

And oh so _slowly_, kneeled in front of Orochimaru and began unzipping his pants. Immediately, he felt fingers thread their way through his hair, tugging tenderly at random intervals.

As the night progressed, their bodies maneuvered to the large bed centered in the room. Naruto readied himself; his back was turned towards Orochimaru and began pulling off his boxers. At this, a hand grabbed his wrist tightly, and Naruto turned around. Orochimaru was lying on his back, his face red and eyes burning with anticipation.

"Wait," Orochimaru grabbed a condom and lube off the nightstand and handed them to him.

Naruto looked down at the items, confused, and glanced at Orochimaru's waiting face, "But I thought --"

"Fuck me." It was like a detonation, a firm demand. And Naruto suddenly understood.

No more words were spoken that night.

-----

In the early morning Naruto awoke to an empty bed. He groaned as light pierced the room through the slits in the blinds. Beside him on the nightstand, he saw an envelope that had his name written on it in small, capitalized, print. Naruto's eyebrows shot up to his hairline when he looked inside to find a hundred dollar bill.

_This guy is so loaded_, Naruto thought. He tried to steer his mind away from the images of last night, instead tracing the bill as though it was the first time he had ever seen money.

When Naruto walked into class he immediately sat beside Sakura who looked over at him and smiled.

"How are you Naruto?" She asked, a little concerned.

Naruto shrugged, "I'm okay. How was your date?"

"Oh my god! Naruto, it was amazing. I was so nervous the entire time because he was so...s-so...there aren't words to describe it. Naruto. I think I'm in _love_. He was incredible," Sakura said breathlessly, peering at a point beyond Naruto's shoulder. She blushed and then looked at Naruto quickly.

"Wait. Don't tell me, did you guys do it?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

"Wha- No! Of course not. It was our first date," Sakura admonished.

"Oh, like that's stopped you before," Naruto snickered.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Besides, it'd be kind of awkward now. He's --"

And at that very moment the door opened. As if they were programmed, the class - all at once - turned to see who was at the door.

"--being transfered to our class," Sakura finished with a whisper.

-----

"He _what_?!" Naruto exclaimed a little too loudly. The whole class, immediately turned around to see who had interrupted, and some rolled their eyes when they saw it was Naruto. He looked up and scowled at the dark-haired boy who was now peering - no - _glaring_ at the floor, his brows furrowed.

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed, and Naruto's jaws snapped shut and he slouched further down into his seat.

The boy glaring at the floor, hands in pockets, and the boy glaring at his desk, arms stubbornly crossed, both petulantly muttered to themselves,

"Why _him_?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning:** YAOI. Sasuke/Naruto. Language. Illegal things. Don't like, don't read. Not of age, don't read. Characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews! I wasn't even expecting 5. But I realize now, reviews are sort of like drugs. Feed me. ;)

_Dedicated to and inspired by Fool._

-----

**Chapter 3**

As Sasuke walked into the classroom, he heard a loud exclamation come from the back,

"He _what_?!"

His eyes made their way to a patch of blonde hair and disturbingly wide blue eyes. Sasuke recognized the boy. He was Sakura's best friend. Her irritating best friend. He felt his eye twitch when he noticed Naruto glaring at him slumped down in his seat. After a moment of awkward silence, someone unambiguously cleared their throat.

"Well now that everyone has settled, I'd like to introduce our newest member of the class," Iruka-sensei said. "Sasuke, would you like to introduce yourself?"

_No_, Sasuke answered in his head.

Silence once again filled the room, as all eyes turned to Sasuke expectantly. Sighing deeply and staring at no one in particular, he began.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I was in Kakashi-sensei's class before, but I'm being forced to transfer because apparently this class needs smarter people."

He closed his mouth and saw several people blink at his blunt statement. Sasuke looked over at Iruka-sensei and noticed a strange expression cross his face, and his face slightly redden before turning back to normal. From the back of the room, sputtering washed over the silence in waves.

"B-bastard! You can't just walk in here and insult everyone and Iruka-sensei! Who said you were smart huh? Iruka-sensei, he's not really going to be in our class is he? He's not allowed to talk like that is he? Are you going to give him detention? Iruka-sensei you should give him dete --"

"Okay that's enou --"

"--ntion, because seriously no one should be allowed to talk like that. God, who died and made you --"

"Naruto!"

"--president? Huh? Like -- hey, what's wrong with your face Iruka-sensei, I --"

"Naruto Uzumaki, detention after school!" Iruka yelled. His face was red from the exertion of repressing his annoyance with the loudmouthed blonde.

Naruto gaped.

"What?! That's not fair, what did I do?" he howled.

Sakura, having heard enough, whipped out her hand and slapped the back of Naruto's head and hissed, "SHH!"

Naruto looked flabbergasted at her betrayal but clamped his jaws shut with a click, slumping in defeat. However, he proceeded to try and burn holes in both Sasuke and Iruka-sensei with his livid eyes.

-----

After Iruka had muttered an exasperated semi-apology to Sasuke, he directed him to an open seat - the only open seat - in front of the blonde. The usually calm and collected teacher gave Naruto a warning look that promised torturous pain of the medieval variety if he did not behave.

In the meanwhile, Sakura rejoiced at the situation. She would be able to sit near Sasuke and get to know him better. In reality, the date had not gone well at all. She had lied to Naruto so that he would't worry about her.

_He doesn't need more to worry about_, she silently speculated.

Sasuke had been reticent. After they had set foot outside and the door had closed, he had immediately dropped her hand and marched to his black Mustang, unlocking the door with the remote on his keychain. She had been surprised by the sudden change in his demeanor, when he had so kindly commented on her appearance in front of Naruto. He didn't even open the car door for her. Instead he elegantly slid into the driver's seat, started the car, and looked at Sakura - who was still standing outside the car - with an expression that plainly demanded, _Well?_

So, she had opened the door and quickly slid in, feeling a dampering in her spirits like something had put weights on her shoulders and was trying to wrench out her stomach. Sasuke sped off the driveway, almost recklessly, and drove to the restaurant that they had planned on.

Dinner had been uneventful. Sakura tried multiple times to start a conversation, but always got one-word answers. In fact, he had barely looked at her throughout the course of the night, and when he had finished eating he began tapping his fingers on the table and looking around the room restlessly.

_It was rude_, she thought. Feelings of doubt began to germinate, and she wondered if she had done something wrong. It was the first time she had been unable to capture a boy's attention. Unable to attract him. And it made her feel horrible. She thought about all those times she had turned Naruto down in middle school when he relentlessly asked her out. "No Naruto! How many times do I have to tell you? You're like my brother." Naruto would laugh it all off with an odd expression on his face.

Later, he claimed it was all a joke. That was when he first started hustling, she vaguely realized.

"Do you like Kakashi-sensei's class Sasuke?" she had asked during dessert.

He shrugged, then "I'm being transferred."

"What? Where? Why?" she asked perking up at the complete sentence.

He looked annoyed for a second, shoulders heaving from a sigh, "They're putting me in your class because the class scores aren't even. I'm being transferred to balance out the grades." At this, he slightly smirked, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

After dinner, the drive back to her house was silent. When he pulled into her driveway he didn't even bother to put the car into park.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, smiling. But Sasuke just looked at her blankly.

"Goodnight." He softly said, and then looked away. Sakura got out of the car, slamming the door, and didn't look back when she heard the car peel down the quiet street.

_And now here we are_, Sakura thought as she stared at the back of his head as he sat in front of her best friend.

Naruto glared at the mass of jet black hair that was currently obscuring his view of the front of the room.

_Why does he have to be so damn tall?_ he thought angrily. Distantly he heard Iruka suggest to the class that they should be copying down the notes because, "there might be a quiz."

He poked Sasuke's shoulder-blade vengefully and hissed, "Move, I can't see the board!"

Sasuke, who didn't even bother to turn around, growled lowly, "Well that's not my problem shorty."

Naruto stared at the black hair unbelievably. He caught Iruka-sensei's eyes and was about to raise his hand to responsibly reproach the Uchiha when he noticed the malevolent gleam that was seemingly radiating from his sensei. Deciding it would probably be better for his well-being to just leech off of Sakura's notes after school, he sighed heavily, making sure his breath would interrupt the impeccability of the hair in front of him. He silently sniggered when he saw Sasuke twitch just a fraction.

_What an ass_, he thought and then laid his head down on the desk and let sleep sweep him away from consciousness.

-----

It was during lunch when Naruto decided that the sudden appearance of Sasuke into his life was a very, very bad thing. He was sitting at a table with his usual lunch group. Ino and Hinata had prodded Sakura for details about her date, and after a lot of huff and puff, and exaggerated concession on Sakura's part, she told them that it had gone wonderfully and couldn't wait for the next date.

"Oh, but was he...you know...nice?" Hinata questioned conspiratorially.

"It's Sasuke! Of course he was nice," Ino snapped passionately, "How could you even think of asking?"

Hinata colored a bit and mumbled under her breath, "I was _just_ wondering..."

Kiba, who was sitting beside her threw an arm around her making her blush more. "Don't listen to her Hinata. I bet the Uchiha was a righteous son of a bitch." "Like he always is," he added.

"Can we _please_ talk about something else?" Naruto interjected.

"Gee what's got your panties in a bunch?" Kiba grumbled.

"Well your dick for one thing," Naruto grinned.

"You are so...so - homosexual, you know that?!"

Across the table, Shikamaru snorted.

"_Duh_!" Naruto replied in perfect replication of a Valley girl.

Everyone at the table laughed, except for Chouji who was busily munching on his chips and Shikamaru who sighed in exasperation.

"Naruto got a makeover yesterday," Sakura teased, "Sasuke saw."

"_Why_ are we _still_ talking about him?" Naruto groaned.

"What did he do?" Ino asked excitedly.

"Who? Sasuke or Naruto?"

"Sasuke" Ino answered.

"Oh well, I don't know I wasn't there. But I'm sure it was love at first sight, wasn't it Naruto?" Sakura joked, elbowing Naruto in the ribs.

Naruto choked on his spoonful of mac and cheese, courtesy of the school's "pity plan for the poor folks" as Naruto liked to call it.

"Well they certainly made good first impressions," Sakura said, thumping Naruto's back.

The bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. Naruto who had finally recovered due to Sakura's brutal thumping - that had probably dislodged more than the macaroni stuck in his throat - complained, "I can't _believe_ it! We spent the whole entire lunch period talking about that asshole!"

"Well we can't always talk about you Naruto," Kiba said matter of factly, his arm coming around Naruto's shoulders and pulling him out of the cafeteria.

Naruto's cheeks puffed, "I am not conceited!"

Kiba laughed, punching Naruto playfully, "Careful Naruto, that's a big word --" "Like _you_ know what it means," Shikamaru interrupted. "-- Shut up Nara, I wasn't talking to you!"

They parted ways, Sakura and Naruto walking back to Iruka's class, and the rest headed back to Kakashi's class.

Before they reached their classroom, Sakura tugged on Naruto's arm and steered him into an empty classroom.

"What? We're going to be late" Naruto said.

"Yea because you're Mr. Punctuality," she answered sarcastically, then softening, "I wanted to ask you how you were. You looked kind of depressed this morning when you walked in."

Naruto shrugged, "Yeah I'm ok."

"Was it bad last night? I mean, after that one night - I get worried about you. You have to be careful Naruto. I wish I could tell you to stop but I know you won't listen to me," Sakura said, touching Naruto's arm.

_Worried_, Naruto repeated privately in amazement.

"Oh well you know, I don't just go with anyone," Naruto tried to reassure her, shifting restlessly. It was an embarrasing subject for him to talk about. And it made him feel more humiliated and shameful when Sakura expressed any sort of concern, because he always had to lie to soothe her worries.

"In fact it was kind of nice last night. He gave me a hundred bucks," Naruto grinned.

Naruto looked at the girl in front of him. Sakura's forehead sported mild wrinkles and her eyebrows were knitted together. Her pink hair fell loosely around her shoulders, swathing her in its strawberry scent. Where she got strawberry scented shampoo, Naruto did not know. She opened her mouth to say something when they were interrupted by a loud clatter.

It was none other than Sasuke Uchiha, who had been sitting cryptically at the back of the room. He, at least, had the decency to look sheepish. The clatter had been the lid to his thermos which he had been trying to inconspicuously screw back on when his careful hands had slipped and the lid went flying onto the floor.

_Red_, thought Naruto, observing its color. He looked up at thermos-owner and felt the pressure of rage building within him. _How can you sit in on someone's private conversation? How can you just sit there and listen?_

Sakura was at a loss for words. "S-Sasuke, we didn't see you."

Naruto noticed that Sasuke was staring at him curiously. _He knows, he's putting it together._

"I was studying," Sasuke discourteously explained, sounding for all the world like he had been the one interrupted and not the other way around.

"In a dark classroom all by yourself?" Naruto ground out.

Sasuke looked at Sakura, then back to Naruto, "I was thinking," he sneered, "Not that you'd understand right?"

_He knows, he know, he knows,_ Naruto nervously chanted in his mind. "Fuck you."

Really, he could think of nothing else.

"Stop it. Both of you," Sakura stated, "The bell's going to ring."

Sasuke gathered his books and brushed past both of them without another word. Naruto looked at Sakura distraughtly.

"He knows."

"No he doesn't," Sakura replied fiercely, shaking her head.

"Yes. He does. Sakura, did you _see_ how he was looking at me? He _knows_," Naruto said and looked down at his faded red canvas sneakers. His shoelaces were untied.

"He doesn't know Naruto. And he won't know. I'll make up an excuse tonight --"

"You're seeing him _again_?" Naruto hissed.

"--Yes. Look I'll tell him something. Like, you're a drug dealer," Sakura hurriedly replied, mouth turning into a frown.

"Oh like _that's_ any better," Naruto bit out sarcastically. Naruto sighed, and then, "Whatever. Do what you want. But if he tells. If someone else finds out? I'm going to kill him."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is not mine…..But he _could_ be -evil grin-

**A/N:** Er, sorry for the wait. Yeah, life. It sucks.

**Warnings:** Eventual SasuNaru, language, illegal things…

_For Fool._

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**This Time – Chapter 4**

Clouds spanned overhead as Sasuke sat by the window, gazing outside through the glass, a teasing wall of physical, but not visual obstruction. He heard commotion outside the dark classroom he was sitting in and figured that lunch break had finished and everyone was heading back to their classrooms. He stuffed the remaining sandwich in his mouth and began to gather his lunch packaging when two distinct voices found their way into his room. Sasuke looked up and recognized Sakura and her friend, the annoying boy Naruto, whispering heatedly at each other. He could make out some of their conversation and was a bit curious what they were doing in this abandoned classroom when the tardy bell was ringing threateningly throughout the halls and every other student was scurrying in panicked frenzy to their rooms.

Slowly, trying to go unnoticed by the pair, he screwed the top of his thermos back on but accidentally loosened his grip too quickly and it flung from his hand onto the floor in a deafening clatter. Naruto and Sakura both looked to the corner Sasuke was sitting in ambiguously with the same surprised expressions on their faces. Though slightly amused and slightly annoyed, Sasuke ignored them and Naruto's incoherent sputterings and decided to leave before the tension detonated. As he walked out the room, he unintentionally brushed past Naruto's arm, sending a strange and confusing tingle up his own and he reached to adjust his shirt sleeve distractedly.

When the door closed behind him, instead of walking to his classroom, he stood against the wall and tried to listen to the rest of their conversation. He generally wasn't one for eavesdropping but there was something about Naruto's eyes, the fear in them, that quickly made him conclude that their argument was more significant than everyday high school drama.

_"He doesn't know Naruto. And he won't know. I'll make up an excuse tonight --"_

_"You're seeing him again?"_

_"--Yes. Look I'll tell him something. Like, you're a drug dealer…"_

_"Oh like that's any better." _And here Sasuke heard a defeated sigh_. "Whatever. Do what you want. But if he tells. If someone else finds out? I'm going to kill him."_

Sasuke's eyes widened at each word but at Naruto's last statement, narrowed intensely. Quickly he stood up straight when he heard bustling beyond the door, and almost jumped when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Sasuke? Why aren't you in class yet?"

Sasuke relaxed when he saw it was only Iruka-sensei, with a few papers in hand, looking at him curiously. However, he tensed again when the door opened and Sakura and Naruto spewed out looking around nervously and halted when they spotted Sasuke and their teacher. Naruto looked at him suspiciously, and Sasuke felt that he was trying to send him threatening vibes as well but ultimately he remained quiet and settled for a scowl on his face, that Sasuke thought, looked rather misplaced.

"Naruto! Sakura!" Iruka-sensei admonished. He glared at the three of them. "I must've missed the memo of it being tardy-day today. Get to class children."

As usual, Naruto tactlessly sputtered "But Iruka-sensei you aren't in class either!" (And at this, Iruka said matter-of-factly, "I'm a teacher, I'm allowed to be tardied.") "No you're not!"

And Sakura vehemently stated, "We are _not_ children," practically spatting out the last word.

Sasuke just grimaced at the scene and stalked off to the class with his hands in his pockets. For some reason, he could not get Naruto out of his mind. Something about him intrigued Sasuke, and the conversation he had overheard left him with an itching curiosity as to what kind of life Naruto led.

The kid's threat about killing him didn't make things any better and while Sasuke hadn't exactly liked him in the first place, he didn't hate him. Now, Sasuke felt hate didn't begin to describe the caustic burning feeling in his chest, and only by imagining various scenarios with him beating the shit out of Naruto dissipated the feeling. He was sure Naruto felt the same, though he couldn't imagine what was behind the secretive meeting in the empty classroom.

Not that he cared or anything. Of course not. What was he to do if Naruto was into some kind of trouble, and from the looks of it, trouble of the illegal kind? Nothing that's what, because he wasn't going to waste another thought on _that_ idiot. In fact, let him continue his illegal activities, maybe he'll end up dead somewhere, Sasuke thought approvingly.

--

It was after school and Naruto was sitting in the detention room fuming at his current predicament and trying to think of all the ways he could kill Sasuke and make it look like an accident. Iruka walked into the empty classroom sighing, massaging his temples, and looked at Naruto exasperatedly.

"Naruto, when will you grow up?"

Shrugging, Naruto looked down at the blank desk he was sitting at, kicking his legs out ever so often. He could see Iruka-sensei standing in front of him but didn't want to look up, less he see the disappointment radiating from his teacher's eyes. A pile of papers were then slapped down in front of his face (a little rudely, Naruto thought) and Iruka demanded that he distribute them to the right teachers, adding a pointedly "don't do anything stupid," when he finally looked up.

Walking out of the room, he heard his teacher muttering about going to the doctor's for migraine medication. Naruto smiled a little at this, feeling a twinge of sympathy for the pained man who had come very close to something of a father-figure in his life. Though he would never admit this aloud.

Determined to do his task right, he began to check the papers in his hand looking for the teacher's names and classroom numbers. Naruto noticed that they were the attendance sheets, and was disappointed to see that they were blank. He would've had a hell of time screwing around with them if they hadn't been.

Not looking where he was going, he bumped rather hard into someone's shoulder and out of surprise dropped the papers in his hand which fell onto the floor in a haphazard heap. Without looking at who it was he muttered, "Sorry," and bent down on the floor to pick up the pile.

"You should watch where you're going."

Naruto didn't even have to think twice before he turned around and flicked off Sasuke Uchiha. He had no doubt that the dark haired boy had run into him on purpose.

"Fuck you Uchiha," he growled, at the same time he was trying to organize the papers back into a neat stack.

He almost dropped them again when he felt a hand grab the collar of his shirt and roughly slam him into the lockers. Wincing at the feeling of a lock digging into his back, he glared up at Sasuke and pushed him away as hard as he could.

"Don't jerk me around," Naruto spat.

Naruto thought Sasuke looked a little surprised, but when he blinked, calm and composed was all that appeared on his face.

"What kind of illegal activity are you meddling in?" Sasuke asked after a slight hesitation, though there was a hint of menace behind the words.

"None of your business." Chuckling, Naruto said, "You know, I didn't peg you as a busybody or a fucking tattleteller."

"I never said I was going to tell anyone," Sasuke smirked.

"Then. Leave. Me. The. Fuck. Alone." Naruto warned, and turned to continue on his way.

But Sasuke grabbed him again, this time not letting go.

"You really like the word 'fuck' don't you? So, what is it? Drugs? Gangs? —" Naruto's eyes narrowed "—Sex?" and Sasuke caught Naruto's eyes widen a fraction, and smirked, "Hn, so that's it? What, are you a whore or something?"

"Shut. Up." Naruto bit out.

"Right. You just make it too easy," Sasuke smirked, shaking his head.

"You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know anything about me," Naruto said angrily.

"And I don't plan to."

With one last shove, Sasuke walked away, leaving only Naruto to glare down at his untied worn down sneakers, with fists clamped tightly around the papers, crumpling them.


End file.
